The present invention relates to a modular, distributed aperture, ultra short pulsed laser which produces very short pulses of light for a variety of applications in a new package that minimizes the size, weight, and power needed by a host platform as well as addresses problems associated with variable environmental requirements. It separates various components and subsystems in an optimized and customizable way to best support a wide variety of applications. It is modular and reconfigurable. Existing ultra-short pulse laser systems put all of the components into a single or small handful of packages or sub-packages, which cannot be separated by any significant distance or operate in a variety of environments. Accordingly, existing designs result in large and bulky systems that are often ill suited for various environments, including mobile environments, as well as small enclosures and spaces into which these systems could be used or placed.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure, a modular laser system, e.g., distributed aperture, ultra short pulsed laser, is provided on a host platform having multiple compartments and groups of components where each group has a different environmental sensitivity such as temperature, humidity, vibration, etc. Each component group is placed in different compartments of the host platform. Each compartment has a different environment where some compartments are maintained by an environmental control system. For example, one group with one temperature sensitivity that falls within environments provided for aircraft passengers or crews can be placed in the crew or passenger compartments. Other components having a greater temperature tolerance might be placed in an equipment bay that has a temperature range different or broader (e.g. warmer or colder) than one set of compartments, e.g., aircrew or passenger cabin. Other components might be placed in an area without any environmental controls or even pressurization such as a cargo bay or an external pod.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.